The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-12-07
SOEE REFORM ERR5RS.

discussing the reform conspiracy. Our
esteemed contemporary no longer
wears the confident air of Tuesday,
acknowledging the plot and asking :
"What are you going to do about it? y
A reproachful, argumentive spirit has
succeeded to that boastful hilarity
which characterized its earlier utter
ances. "Thou canst not say | did it'
is now the answer to our accusation
But it is rather late in the day fol
this transformation act. Too much
has been said by our valued contem'
porary, by smaller but equally earnest
reform organs and by reform orators
and managers. Only two days ago
the Picayufe, in burst of confidence,
admitted the salient features of our
charge, and emphasized the admission
by expressing its pride in the design
and basing roseate hopes upon the
outcome. 1t spoke in vein of per
feet satisfaction with the scheme, re.
ferred to it as something quite beyond
tue need of justification and fully wor
thy of an astute politicians pride
Only few days ago the PlaQnemineS
Protector, entering still fulthes into de.
tails, and just a triGe more Indifferent
to appearances, proclaimed the purpose
Of the reformers in still clearer terms
and disclosed the methods by which
they proposed to muzzle Democracy's
voice in Louisiana. Our readers have
not forgotten Mr.. Zacharie's circular
either. As far back as November 1C
he sent out, in the name of the Nj.
cholls campaign committee, letter Of
instructions to the faithful in East Fe
liciana, in which, among other inter
esting things, he said:
Our advice to you is tn leave no stone
unturned to have the details OF your mass
meeting arranged in advance.
"A,yunge the detuils in adrancc." In
other words, "appoiut your delegates
decide upon your majority, draft youl
resolutions, and declare your results
before the mass meeting assemblies
and without any reference to its char
acter, and then stick to it through
thick and thin afterward." That is
what MIR. zacharie meant by "arrang.
ing the details in advance" for, fur.
Their along in his circular, he says
We trnst that our friends in East Feliciand
ciH not be caught mapping, or if they are,
that they sciH not submit to a deprivation o.
tier rights as Democrats.
In other words, if, after having ar
ranged those details in advance they
should find that the mass meeting stu
pidly refused to follow out the pro
granme, then they must stand upon
their rights as reformers and contest
For Mr.. zacharie adds, in explanation
of the strong necessity Of securing
East Feliciana:
Nothing would bring such discourage
mcnt to our cause as the loss of East Fell
ciana, which has been regarded us sure
Parish, and to lose it at this time in the
inception of the campaign, would disccur-
age our friends and encourage the enemy
greatly, lnasnluch as the latter hold out
to the public that they do not claim it.
Yours truly,
+. c. ZAcHARIE,
For Committee
1t is too late for the Picayane to
bark back to the old device of injured
innocence. Its impulsive outburst of
Tuesday morning was much more COM
mendable and ingenious. Not only
is it too late-it is idle. Here we have
the plain admissions Of the organs and
the managers of reform that they in
tend to appropriate what they cannot
fairly win, and to contest when they
are sqnarely beaten. Our excellent
neighbor, however, is mistaken in as
sumlng that we are appalled, or alarm
ed or even disconnected over the dis
covery of the reform plot. We were
prepared for it after their tactics in the
State Central Committee. We were
convinced by what happened in caddo'
Grant, Webster and DeSoto. The
Picoy"nc's admissions, the Plaque
mines Protectors boasts, Mr.. Zacha-
rie's opportune zea|-all these things
were but the embroidery upon the IA
brio. They are interesting, but they
were hatdly necessary. Neither should
the reformers fall into the error OF
supposing that their carefully prepared
and tenderly nurtured plan will win.
. Times Democrat.
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